Gary Writers Publish Their First Books

This is my interview with the Gary Post Tribune

Gary writers publish their first books

By Lisa DeNeal Post-Tribune correspondent

 

 

GARY -- Two local writers recently have had their works published for the first time.

LaKiya Lindsey is sharing her thoughts on life in the poetry volume "Through the Eyes of Boo Kitty (My Soul in Writing)."

 

Lindsey, who was given the nickname Boo Kitty by her father, is following in the footsteps of her mother and their favorite poet.

 

"My mother was a poet during the 1970s and was big on Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni and other notable poets," Lindsey said. "She practically spoon-fed me their prose and rhymes."

 

Other favorites include Grammy-Award winning singer-poet Jill Scott.

 

"That woman is phenomenal; I love her," Lindsey said.

 

Lindsey said she published her poems in book form when friends encouraged her to do so.

 

"The poems in the book were written between last September and March," she said. "A lot of the pieces are about things I go through, and my daughter, Ava."

 

An only child, Lindsey said she has been writing since childhood, always keeping a journal and writing about her feelings.

 

"My mother noticed my need to write, especially when I was in middle and high school, and would constantly buy notebooks and journals for me," she said.

 

Lindsey works for American Family Insurance in Chicago, but is also an Army veteran. After graduating from Wirt High School in 2000 with a JROTC background, she joined the military, enlisting in the Indiana National Guard 113th Engineer Battalion.

 

When her unit was deployed to Iraq in 2004, Lindsey discovered during a physical that she was pregnant.

 

"Ava was born on Valentine's Day 2005, and I have written poems about her. It was the best decision I've ever made," Lindsey said.

 

"Through the Eyes of Boo Kitty (My Soul in Writing)" is $11.49 and available through Lulu.com, or visit LaKiya's MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/throughtheeyesofbookitty